Rue
by thecavescene
Summary: Written from Rue's POV from the reaping to her decease.
1. Wake up

I woke up today, as if it was just another day. But it isn't. This is the day I might be reaped.

The word 'reaped'itself is terrifying to me. It's my first year, but my name is in 29 times. That means 29 chances for me to go to the arena, 29 chances for me to _die._

I try to get those thoughts out of my head as I get out of bed, but the number twenty-nine is still coming back and forward in my mind. Every single thought in my head is related to the reaping. But still, how am I supposed to think about something else? I have to stay positive about it, but I can't.

"Rue" My mom called me "It's time for you to dress up. Come eat something".

My room is next to the kitchen and whenever my mom is cooking I can smell it. Sometimes it smells better than it tastes, or the portions are too small and I'm still hungry. But "Food is food. Grain is grain. We earn what we eat". That's what they teach us, but I don't believe them. I might be just twelve, but I'm not dumb, I know that the Capitol is not fair to us and the peacekeepers just look for excuses to mistreat people. And yet, there isn't much that a twelve-year-old can do.

The day goes by very quickly, and it just felt surreal. By the time I finally step into reality, I'm already there. And I hear the Capitol accent. It's time.

"Welcome, district 11. Happy hunger games, and May the odds be ever in your favor" It's going to be me. "I'm here to announce you the 74th annual hunger games' tributes" She's going to call my name. "But first we have a gift, from the Capitol to us."

_«__Great gift__»_ I think to myself. A four minutes long video explaining how much we own them and how much respect we must have for them. 'Respect' for the ones who might take me away. And if it's not me, it will be someone I know. District 11 doesn't exactly have a lot of people, when someone dies, you can feel them missing.

"We must continue!" I feel my heart falling to my stomach as she pronounces the next words "Ladies first!" She puts her hands in the bowl and pulls out a paper. It's not going to be my name. It's not late to be positive. It's not going to be me.

But it's me.

I start to walk and I keep expecting my sister to volunteer. I keep expecting someone to say something, and it doesn't happen. Everybody is looking at me, and I can see my mom now. She's looking right at me, and she's crying.

Then I'm up in the podium and the woman from the Capitol calls the male tribute, and it's Thresh

«This cannot be happening. Wake up. Wake up, Rue» I try to convince myself it's a nightmare.

I have known Thresh all my life; he's a brother to me. Now he's probably going to have to kill me.


	2. I wouldn't try to save me

My family came to say goodbye and we all cried. I think they don't expect I will ever make it far, how would I? I'm extremely thin and short. Also, trying to defeat the careers would mean death. It all means death anyway. But it's not time for me to think of that. It's my time for them.

It's almost time for them to go and then Keel, my sister, calls my name, crying. "Rue, I-I'm sorry" she says.

"Don't be" I hug her. "It is going to be okay, it's fine" I find myself crying.

Then peacekeepers come and take them away.

"I love you" I scream in tears.

Keel and I have been together all our lives; I know she's sorry for not volunteering. But I wouldn't have volunteered for me either. I can imagine how hard it must be to put her life over her sister's life. Of course she chose hers. Who would blame her?

Time keeps flying and I realize it's been 3 days since I saw my family. My stylist already changed the way I look, they already chose what image they want me to have in the interview, they already know who I am, but I don't.

I don't want time to go by so fast. This is basically the last week I have of life. I didn't imagine my death like this. Maybe I would fall out of a tree and then break my neck; my family wouldn't have to worry about me having a lot of pain when I died.

I need to stop this. Why am I thinking abou–?

"Today you're going to train. I would recommend you two not to ignore the survival and camouflage stands, mostly you, Rue. " My mentor interrupts my thoughts.

He pulls me and Thresh in the elevator to train. I don't like my mentor. It's hard to think he belongs to District 11 with us.

Once we're in the elevator, Thresh holds my hand and asks me "Are you good in something? Something that will help you survive?"

"Well… I can climb trees. And I'm very quiet when I walk in the plantations. It's not helpful really, but…"

"That's amazing, Rue. That's the kind of things that might draw a great line between you and death" He looks at me. I realize he's trying to protect me. "You can do this"

I know he loves me, the way a brother loves his sister. I love him back and now I realize it. I must fight for my family, for District 11. It's not time to give up.

I go to the Survival stand. They're teaching me how to get a refuge, how to make fire and how to clean water.

Then I see thresh with some knives, he doesn't do well and I see the tributes from 1, 2, 3 and district 4, making fun of him, specially the male from District 2, I think his name is Cato. He's a career tribute, of course.

Thresh is great. He has all the chances to win this. They won't see him as a target for failing with these dumb knives.

When Cato is not looking, I take his knife and run with it.

He's yelling to the kid from District 3, I think. "Where are my knives?" He holds him from the neck. "I know you took them!" He screams and he's right about to punch the kid from District 3 when some guards take him away.

I'm in the roof, holding really thigh, and then I see the girl from District 12 looking at me. I show her the knife and she laughs and I smile her back.

The girl on fire, people call her. I've heard the careers make fun of her calling her 'The coal on fire', because she's from 12.

I head she volunteered for her sister. And even though I want Thresh to win, if he doesn't, I wish she does.


	3. Now run faster than ever before

The interview already passed. I don't think I made the slightest effect on people, they didn't laugh as they did with the other tributes. They didn't clap so hard when I left. Of course Caesar Flickerman realized it and tried to help me but there wasn't much he could do

When Thresh left the stage, they called the girl from 12, and they clapped and screamed and whistled. Of course they did, she knows how to make an impact. She knows how to make people remember her. I wish I knew how to do that too. I wish I could have a chance to survive and get sponsors, but I don't have a chance

I don't know how many days it's been since the interview. I only know that I'm going to the arena now.

When did this happen? Last thing I knew I was up in a tree, singing and listening to mockingjays repeat my songs. Music's the only thing I have. I can't write, dance, learn, read, the only thing I'm allowed to do –besides going to school– is singing. It's the only way I have to actually do something.

My mentor says something I don't understand and then I'm in the tub. I can only hear a sound implying I must go now.

I must go to fight, or maybe just die. I only know I must go _now._

I'm standing in there, now I can't run away.

"Five" The lady says.

What do I do?

"Four" She keeps counting.

I don't have a plan.

The female voice says "Three"

Two more seconds and I–

"Two"

Then I can only hear a beep and start running faster than before. I didn't think, just acted.

I don't plan catching a backpack, but one comes in front of me as by magic and I take it and keep running, then I follow some birds. They must eat too, so probably they'll take me to where they eat, drink or maybe where they sleep.

All I can think of is that, just a few days ago, I was in the plantations, going to school. Doing what we always do in District 11, and now I'm running for my life.

What are my mom and my family thinking about right now? Maybe they're proud or surprised. After fifteen minutes of running, I highly doubt I'm on the screen; they have much more interesting things going on in the bloodbath than a girl running so I take a break for a second and just cry.

What's happening and when did this happen? I don't want to keep running. Killing is not an option for me either.

I don't want to do this. It's not a fair game. I wish I was home right now. I'm the youngest here, I have no chance to actually win, but I will fight for my family; I have to get back to them, or at least just try, no matter how hard it is. It's not time to give up. I put myself back up and keep running.

"For my family" I say out loud. I don't think I'm on the screen, I don't mind if I am and they can hear me.

I'm running when I hear footsteps. The careers aren't close; they're certainly killing in the bloodbath. I start climbing a tree fastest I can and then I see the girl from district 12. She's wearing a mockingjay pin. For some reason I don't see her as a tribute anymore, and I feel like I can trust her. Even though we're supposed to be enemies


	4. It's not the sunlight

I think it's been two or three days since I entered the arena. I found a twisted tree that seemed to be old, with a big hole inside and that's where I spent the night. I just woke up because I have heard something. It might be a tribute so I take out from my backpack the knife I made. It might not be the most useful, but there's a chance it could help me. I climb higher in the tree and that way, whoever is in there won't catch me, I hope. Then I see lights, it might be the sun.

But it's not the sun. _"It's…Fire!" I_ allow myself to scream, and then look around hoping nobody heard me. There's no one. It's safe to get down, well, not exactly safe… Nothing's safe here.

I get down fastest I can and then start running just as I did the first day. I don't remember what I felt that day anymore. I hope I never do again.

My thoughts are flooding me, but I have to keep running, I don't have another choice except keep moving my feet, which are slipping and I don't know what's happening around me, I just have to run. Then I fall and a fireball burns me in the arm.

I must have broken something, but I have to run and I'll take care of it… if I survive after this fire.

What happened before the fire? Was there something actually happening?

I keep expecting time to go by as fast as it did last week, but time seems never ending and I'm tired and breathless.

"And out of water, also" I whispered as I realized I had no water

I might be going crazy, but if I make it home, I will have enough money to pay someone to think for me. I smile slightly to that thought. Thinking of my home makes me happy, and it gives me a reason to fight. I'm happy I have a home to get back to, Thresh doesn't.

Thresh. I haven't seen his face in the sky, he's alive.

Does he wonder if I am okay? Is he worried about seeing my face in the sky tonight? I feel ashamed, I haven't had thought of him until now, I hope he's doing fine.

I'm still running until a fireball flies around me. It burned my neck, but it's not important. I can keep going. It goes on like that for around half an hour, and then it all stops.

Isn't it funny how our lives are being controlled even the second we're about to die? They call this "live reality" but it's not reality, we're being forced into acting as we do. I don't get how the Capitol shows us we own them so much, when our lives are being controlled. How is it to them to see us killing each other?

As if it wasn't enough to be hungry at home, I'm hungry here too. There's no food in my backpack, some dry fruits but that's not enough. If I don't eat soon I might die.

Almost a day has passed and yet I haven't ate. I wasn't doing so badly. I stayed in the trees and I found food very easily, I always could get just enough water, leave and just _survive. _

Probably all the places where I found food are burned already and I ran out of energy, so there are no chances I could get food and I lay down in the dirt. I only hope I'm not onscreen. I don't want my family to see me like this. Then I found a bush, there are a lot of berries in it and I rip them off and put them in my backpack and climb a tree.

I think I've been in this tree for around five hours. Then a girl comes running to a tree that's next to mine. The careers are following her and as she moves, I see something blinking in the dark. It's the mockingjay pin. It's Katniss.

The night keeps passing and she's still there, the careers still wait for her. Both female and male from District 1, 2, 3 and 4, and there's someone else…

It's… the boy from 12.


	5. A deal

I can't believe the traitor this guy turned to be. I have only heard about him that his name is Pita, like the bread, but I'm not sure. He's an absolutely amazing liar, I'll give him that. Everyone believed his fantasy of an impossible love story, and now he's planning to kill her with the tributes. Probably it's all about gaining sponsors. Yet still; how could I blame him for only trying to save his life?

I see Katniss looking at me, I stare at her and hope that she notices it's me, and I hope she recognizes me. I see trackerjackers above her, and I point them at her with my little fingers. I don't think she realized what it was at first but then, clearly, she sees them.

For about five minutes she stays there and so do I, she's obviously making up a plan. Right when I'm certain about that, she whispers my name, I point the trackerjackers again and she makes a sewing impression. She starts climbing with her knife and I know what she is going to do, she is going to throw the trackerjackers at the careers.

I don't want to be close when the trackerjackers fall off, their venom is extremely dangerous and poisonous, it's better off if I'm away from them, so I jump to the next tree and continue doing it as I move through the next twelve foots.

A few minutes pass by and I hear the canon. _«Canons» I think to myself._

They sounded twice.

What if Katniss died?

Was it any of the other tributes?

Could it have been Thresh?

I need answers, so I run back, making my way through the trees. It's really a longer distance than I thought, but I still manage my way to get there fast.

When I'm finally there, I see Katniss alive. I'm glad she is. But the trackerjackers bit her; her hallucinating is obvious when I see her taking away the bow from one of the dead girls. Looking at her face completely deformed gives me Goosebumps, so I try to forget about it and keep moving forward.

Some hours later, I found another tree far away from the trees I was already and other tributes, and close to water I hope. I decide to stay there for at least two days. I sleep in it for around five hours. When I wake up, I see Katniss, she found water. She has proved she's brilliant, and I follow her.

I think she will at least lead me somewhere with food.

Around forty-five minutes later, she finds a turkey and hits it with an arrow right in the eye. She's obviously done this before.

_«Oh, what I would do to eat some of that turkey» _Berries and water aren't and probably will never be enough to survive. Honestly, I'm starving right now.

I don't think I realized how hungry I was before. I never really noticed it, so I move a step in front just so I can catch some more of that beautiful smell, but when I move, I break something that was on the floor. I hide behind a tree, but I think she saw me, and then she smiles.

"Did you know they're not the only ones who can form alliances?" She says.

I don't respond for a minute. "You want me for an ally?" I say

"Why not?" She answers. "You saved me from those trackerjackers, you're smart enough to still be alive, and I can't seem to shake you away" I blink, trying to decide. "You hungry?" She asks. I would love to eat, of course. But I'm too ashamed of telling her how hungry I am. "Come on then, I got food" I step softly to where she is.

"I can fix your stings" I answer, getting out of the tree's safety.

"Can you? How?" I put my hand in the backpack and I pull out a bunch of leaves I picked up before. "Where did you find those?" She replies, surprised.

"Oh, just around" I say. "We all carry them when we work in the orchards; there's a lot of nests there. There's a lot here, too".

"That's right, you're from District 11. Agriculture." She says "Orchards, huh? That must be how you can fly around the trees like you've got wings." I smile. "Well come on then, fix me up".

She lies by the fire and I put some of the leaves in my mouth and chew them, then put them in the stings she had on her knee.

"Ooh" She exclaims.

"How lucky you had the sense to remove the stings" I giggle "Or you'd be a lot worse".

"Do my neck! Do my cheek!" She says, showing me the places where she had stings. She notices the burn I have in my forearm and says "I have something for that".

"You have good sponsors" I say.

"Have you gotten anything yet?" I shake my head. They haven't. "You will though. Watch. The closer we are to the end, the most people will realize just how clever you are" She flips the meat.

"You weren't joking… about wanting me for an ally?" I comment, looking at the meat.

"No. I meant it" She says.

"Okay" I say and pull my hand out, she shakes it. "It's a deal"


End file.
